Updates on the Colorado Avalanche, Bo Byram, and more
Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey NOW: The Colorado Avalanche seem to have seen things open up a bit. It appears that Bo Byram may just return this season after all. Skating has gone relatively well in his recovery from another concussion.
That helps shift the focus of things a little. Colorado wants to try and unload Samuel Girard. This is to free up space to go after perhaps some bigger talent. Remember, Miller makes just $5.25 million and has one more year on his deal. It may be partly why things have cooled on the Claude Giroux end.
That does not mean the Giroux rumors are dead. Most tend to believe that could heat up at any time. The odds still favor the Flyers forward coming to Colorado before Miller. Philadelphia is still scouting Colorado pretty heavily. That is something to keep In mind with less than two weeks to go until the trade deadline.
The Avalanche are -115 and the Hurricanes are
-105 on the moneyline with Betway
Is Tomas Hertl all but out the door?
Corey Masiask of The Athletic: Again, it is the question that has to be asked over and over. Is Tomas Hertl all but exiting San Jose at this point? Hertl is 29 at this point and an eight-year deal brings him well into his mid 30’s. Does the forward want to stay in San Jose through a potential “rebuild”?
Any team is getting a heck of a forward. Hertl is a point-a-game player with high chance creation and shot potential. The San Jose Shark is one of the better penalty killing forwards in the league because of his tenacity.
There are quite a few destinations that could fit. One of them is the Carolina Hurricanes. That requires Carolina moving a chunk of cap space. After that, there are teams like the Rangers and the Lightning.
One intriguing possibility is the Pittsburgh Penguins. Pittsburgh could have some salary flexibility. Colorado is the other but the Avalanche would need a little help in the numbers. Either way, Hertl will attract many teams if extension talks go south.
